Automatic checkout and inventory control

ABSTRACT

Individual tags attached to shelf merchandise in a self-service supermarket have a detachable portion whose weight represents the price of the merchandise to which the tag is attached. The detachable tag portion also contains an inventory control number. At a checkout station, the detachable tag portions are removed from all merchandise selected by a customer and the detached tag portions are counted and weighed. The collective weight of the tags is used to give a real time indication of the total price of the customer&#39;&#39;s purchases. Subsequent to checkout, the detached tag portions are scanned individually to identify merchandise sold through the checkout station. This information is thereafter processed and used for inventory control.

United States Patent 1191 Harris [4 1 June 5, 1973 1 AUTOMATIC CHECKOUTAND 2,746,679 5/1956 Strmton 61111, ..235/6|,6R

INVENTORY CONTROL 2,774,060 12 1956 Thompson ..235 61.12c x 3,246,1264/1966 Schlieben et al ..235/6l.ll E [75] Invent 3?? 'm 2,919,851 1/1960Otis ..23S/6l.9 ux

[7 3] Assignee: Super Key Associates, Birmingham, Primary y Wilbur Mi h,Assistant Examiner-Thomas J. Sloyan Filed J y 12 1971 AttorneyBames,Kisselle, Raisch & Choate [2'1] Appl. No.: 161,899 [57] ABSTRACT Relateds Application Data Individual tags attached to shelf merchandise in aself service supermarket have a detachable port1on whose [63]Contmuatron of Ser. No. 832,629, June 12, 1969, i h represents the priceof h merchandise to abandoned which the tag is attached. The detachabletag portion also contains an inventory control number. At a [52] Cl"235/616 checkout station, the detachable tag portions are removed fromall merchandise selected by a customer {2 7/00 G and the detached tagportions are counted and 235/61 3 M 61 i weighed. The collective weightof the tags is used to 271 40/51 2 A 2 give a real time indication ofthe total price of the 27 I31 6 customers purchases. Subsequent tocheckout, the detached tag portions are scanned individually to identifymerchandise sold through the checkout sta- [516] References Cited tion.This information is thereafter processed and used UNITED STATES PATENTSfor inventory control.

3,059,112 10/1962 Rogal ..235/6l.6 UK 48 Claims, 9 Drawing FiguresD\G\TA\ 4 /0 4 \NDlCATOR 26 READ 001 PRWTER MANUAL q mean 42 /2 W 6;COUNTER 22 REGlSTER CHANGER TAG .k WEI6HT 30 SCALE. 2:?

TEMPORARY TAG 44 JO STORAGE I -6 s PR\NTER v \NVENTORY J4 SCANNERCOMPUTER I READER i INVENTORY CONTROL I PATENTEDJUH 5191a 3,787,631

' SHEET 2 UP 2 FIG. 7

SUCT \ON ARM ST P CONTROLLER /52 MOTOR INVENTOR JOSEPH I. HARRIS M M m4@141;

ATTORNEY-5 AUTOMATIC CHECKOUT AND INVENTORY CONTROL This application isa continuation of my prior copending application Ser. No. 832,629, filedJune 12, 1969 and entitled Automatic Checkout And Inventory Control (nowabandoned).

In self-service merchandising, for example, in department stores andfood markets, the usual procedure is for a customer to selectmerchandise marked with the price, either upon a separate label orstamped directly on the goods. The checkout cashier looks for the labelor the price imprinted on the goods and then enters each individualprice into a cash register to obtain a total selling price. Asignificant problem with highvolume merchandising of goods such as foodis the blottle neck at the checkout station. Rapid and smooth flow ofcustomers through checkout is not realized because of the time requiredfor the cashier to locate the price and manually enter the price intothe cash register. Conventional checkout using a cashier also introduceshuman error, for example, errors in reading prices and in enteringprices into the register. A very significant cost factor is alsoincurred by the conventional checkout cashier when salary, overtime andfringe benefits are taken into consideration. Slow checkout also givesrise to indirect losses; for example,

prospective customers may not shop at crowded stores with slow checkout.

Although existing data processing technology is capable of computerizedautomatic inventory control, prior attempts to commercialize suchsystems have emphasized the value of inventory control as contrasted tosatisfying the need to improved checkout. Data processing has receivedlimited commercial acceptance with certain types of merchandising wherethe benefit for inventory control purposes justifies the cost, eventhough checkout is not improved and, in some applica' tions, checkout iseven impaired. However, data processing checkout and inventory controlsystems have not received commercial acceptance for high-volume foodmerchandising even though the inventory control problem with respect tofood is a major concern.

One type of data processing system that has been suggested for checkoutand inventory control uses indicia or perforations on a label which isscanned by special equipment to derive pricing and inventory controldata. The scanning equipment is, in general, expensive, cumbersome andnot suited to high-volume merchandising. For example, one typicalautomatic inventory control system that has been suggested uses anoptical scanner.-

The present state of the optical scanner art is such that such systemshave not been adopted commercially for high-volume merchandising becausethey are expensive, they lack the accuracy and reliability required andthey fail to accomplish any real speed-up in checkout due to the timerequired to sort and handle individual labels during scanning.

Other types of checkout and inventory control systems using processeddata have also been suggested where the customer is not permitted tofreely inspect and select the specific goods to be purchased. It isdesirable in almost all automatic checkout systems that the customershould be free to inspect and accept or reject any item for purchase.The customer should actively participate in the selection of hispurchases and in the checkout process without losing visual contact ofhis purchases.

Objects of the present invention include providing improved automaticcheckout and/or inventory control that is particularly suited tohigh-volume merchandising; that overcomes the aforementioneddisadvantages of prior systems; and that achieves fast, accurate,reliable and effective checkout and/or inventory control at low cost andwithout depriving a customer of freedom of individual selection.

Further objects of the present invention are to provide automatedcheckout that is simple to operate and minimizes the transfer of pricingdata into a register by a cashier but yet allows for manual pricetransfer into the register when required.

A further and equally important object of this invention is to provideautomated automatic checkout that minimizes manpower requirements andlosses due to cashier error and to avoidance of shopping by customers bycomparison to present commercial checkouts and/or that provides aninventory control capability to thereby further effect a substantialsaving to highvolume merchandising.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a small tagis affixed to each item in the store. The tag is coded with an inventorycontrol number, and the weight of the tag is related to .the price ofits associated item. The customer selects items from shelf stock andtakes them to the checkout counter in a cart or the like. The items areremoved from the customers cart by a semi-skilled checkout cashierand/or the customer, detagged, and the tags are dropped through a slotin the checkout counter top past a counting device and onto a scale. Thetotal price of the items purchased is determined by the collectiveweight of the tags. The tags are then collected for subsequentprocessing to identify the inventory control numbers for inventorycontrol purposes.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent in connection with the following description, theappended claims and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an automated checkout and inventory controlsystem of the present invention;

FIG.-2 illustrates four different types of tags having detachableportions whose weight represents the price of goods;

FIG. 3 is a transverse cross section taken on line 3-3 of one of thetags of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4a and 4b illustrate two techniques for printing inventory controlnumbers on a tag;

FIGS. 5a and 5b illustrate further embodiments of tags formed from wirestrips;

FIG. 6 is a plot illustrating a principle of incremental tag weightvariation applicable to the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view of a-checkout counter incorporating a scaleand a pneumatic tag transfer mechanism according to one embodiment ofthe present invention.

'Referring more particularly to FIG. 1, a plurality of items 10 selectedby a customer are placed on a checkout counter 12. Each of the items 10has affixed thereon a small tag 14 having a detachable portion 14' whichis removed during checkout and inserted in a chute 16. The tag portions14' are conveyed by chute 16 past a photocell counter which includes alight source 18, a photocell pickup 22 and a counter 24. Counter 24receives an input pulse from photocell 22 in response to each removedtag portion 14 passing down chute 16. The output of counter 24 is fed,respectively, to a visual indicator 26 and a totalizing register 28.Indicator 26 is a light which flashes on in response to the passage of atag portion 14' to verify that the tag has been counted.

Chute 16 empties into a tag weight scale 30 that accumulates all of thetags removed from the items purchased by the customer. Scale 30 providesan output signal to register 28 representing the total weight of theaccumulated tag portions 14 for a complete purchase by the customer ofthe items 10. Register 28 is also connected to a manual input 32, suchas a keyboard or the like, under the control of the checkout cashier.Data that can be transferred into register 28 via the manual input 32includes instructions to register 28 to totalize the amount of thepurchases; prices of goods without tags, if any; sales tax; and theamount given the cashier by the customer for which change must be given.

Register 28 calculates the total price of the merchandise or goods 10purchased by the customer as a function of the two inputs received fromthe tag counter 24 and the tag weight scale 30, i.e., the total numberand the collective weight of tag portions 14 accumulated in scale 30. Inresponse to the data from manual input 32, tag counter 24 and scale 30,register 28 calculates the total price of the purchase, including salestax, and the change required, and feeds this information, together withthe number of items purchased, to a digital readout 36 and a printer 40.The readout 36 provides a visual display of the information receivedfrom register 28 and printer 40 provides a printed receipt for thecustomer and a printed record for the store. Register 28 also actuates achanger 41 which delivers change to the customer. The checkout apparatusand procedure described generally hereinabove is simple, accurate I andreliable and operates rapidly without skilled operators. The totalpurchase price will, in general, be determined automatically by theinformation from either scale 30 alone or scale 30 together with thecount from counter 24, as will later be explained in greater detail.Rapid checkout is achieved because the tag portions 14' are not examinedindividually, as by scanning; and hence elaborate sorting and handlingof individual tags is not required during checkout.

After a sale is completed, the tags 14 accumulated in scale 30 aretransferred via a conduit 42 to a temporary tag storage unit 44. Tagsare removed from the temporary storage 44 periodically via a conduit 46and transferred to an inventory scanner-reader 48 for processing ofinventory control numbers. After processing in the scanner-reader 48,the used tag portions 14' are collected for destruction or otherdisposition. Scannerreader 48 reads the inventory control number uponeach of the tag portions 14' and supplies that information to a centralinventory control computer 50. Computer 50 performs functionsconventionally associated with inventory control as, for example,providing a printed tabulation of inventory changes via the printer 52and/or periodically initiating orders for a store as illustrated by theinventory control function 54. I

The present invention contemplates using conventional equipment for thescanner-reader 48, computer 50, printer 52 and inventory control 54.However, a significant feature of the present invention is that the tagportions 14 are not scanned and read on a real time basis duringcheckout; and hence tag portions 14 can be scanned and read forinventory purposes by commercially available scanning and readingequipment.

For example, although the input for scanner-reader 48 has been describedas directly from temporary storage 44, the scanner-reader 48 could becentrally located to service several stores. The tag portions 14' fromone store can be transported periodically, for example, once a day, tothe location of the scanner-reader 48 for processing. This avoidsduplication of expensive scanner-reader equipment at each checkoutstation or at each individual store. Whether a scanner-reader 48 isprovided at each checkout station, at each store for a plurality ofcheckout stations, or at a central location for a plurality of stores,the scanner-reader can process tag portions 14' at a rate determined bythe capabilities of the scanner-reader independent of the rate of thecheckout operation, per se.

FIG. 2 shows four of the different possible types of planar tags 60, 62,64, 66, any one of which could be used in a set of tags 14 for a givenmerchandising application. Each of the tags 60, 62, 64, 66 generallycomprises a body portion designated by the letter a and a tab portiondesignated by the letter b. The body portions a, 62a, 64a, 66a aredetachable from their respective tab portions 60b, 62b, 64b, 66b alonglines of separation designated by the letter c. Each of the bodyportions 60a, 62a, 64a, 66a has a weight corresponding to a given pricefor an item to which the tag is to be attached. A set of tags will havebody portions incrementally graduated in weight to accommodate retailprice variations within the merchandising price variations for a givenmerchandising application. The tabs 60b, 62b, 64b, 66b are adhered tothe merchandise as by adhesive. For articles to which the tabs will notadhere, the tabs can be stapled, wired or otherwise affixed to thearticles. Tag 66 also includes a length of wire 66d laminated betweentop and bottom layers 66f, 663 (FIG. 3). With tag 66, the weight of thebody portion 66a includes the weight of the wire 66d. When the bodyportion 66a is removed from the tab portion 66b along the separationline 660, wire 66d is retained in the body portion and the lower end ofthe wire as viewed in FIG. 2 pulls out or tears through the tab portion66b.

For a given merchandising application, the tag configuration will beselected to provide the best compromise between at least the followingfactors: (a) production cost and control; (b) cost and design of asuitable tagging device for applying the tags to the article; (c)minimizing fraud by deterring customers from removing body portions fromone tag and inserting them into tab portions of tags on higher priceditems; (d) minimizing accidental separation of the body portion from thetab portion; and (e) facilitating removal of the body portion from thetab with accurate repeatability, i.e., minimum weight variation betweendetached body portions representing a given price. For example, with tag60, the interface formed by the separation line 600 between the bodyportion 60a and the tab 60b, forms a key 60d on the body portion 60a.This configuration minimizes accidental separation and undetectable interchange of body portions by the customer. The size of the key 60d can bevaried for different price ranges to provide a weight variation for thatprice range. Different sized keys 60d for different price ranges alsofurther deters removal and reinsertion of a body portion 60a from oneprice range tag to another price range ta Vith the tag 62, the line ofseparation 620 forms legs 62d. This configuration also minimizesaccidental separation of the body portion 62a from the tab portion 62band the size or number of the legs 62d can be varied from price range toprice range to minimize exchange of body portions from one price rangetag to another price range tag and provide a weight variation betweentags in different price ranges. Tag 64 has the simplest interfaceconfiguration along the line of separation 64c and hence is mostsusceptible to accidental separation. On the other hand, thisconfiguration provides for easy separation without variation in theweight of the body portions as they are removed from the tab portions.The wire 66d in tag 66 minimizes accidental separation and provides aconvenient mechanism for varying the weight of tags representingdifferent prices. Wires 66d of different diameters provide a convenientmeans to provide different weight ranges for different price ranges.

The tags 60, 62, 64, 66 can be made'of paper or plastic and, forexample, have dimensions on the order of 2 inches long, /2 inch wide andone-thirty-second of an inch thick with each tag weighing about /5 gram.The tags can be manufactured to substantially the form shown in FIG. 2in complete sets to accommodate the required price variations. The tagswould then be applied to the articles by a suitable tagging device whichwould simultaneously mark a visible price on the item and/or the tag andalso code the tag with an inventory number. Alternatively, for example,the tags can be partly formed during production by forming rolls ofstrip material having uniform thickness, width and weight-per-unitlength. The tagging device would then form the individual tags 60, 62,64, 66 (form the separation lines 0 and cut the tag so that the bodyportions a have the desired weight for given prices), code the tag withan inventory number, mark the price on the tag or the item, and affixthe tag to the item.

In order to accommodate retail price variations over a total price rangefor a given merchandising operation, the weight of the body portions60a, 62a, 64a, 66a should be incrementally graduated from a non-zerobase weight 74 as illustrated in FIG. 6. Tag weight increments can beobtained by varying the configuration as described hereinabove or byvarying the length, width, thickness and/or density of the material ofwhich the tags are made. In the preferred embodiment, the length isvaried while the width and thickness are held constant to facilitatesorting and handling in the scanner-reader 48. A typical merchandisingoperation might, for example, require on the order of 500 to 2,000 stepsto obtain the required number of incremental graduations in weightcorresponding to pricing variations of the merchandise being handled bythe system.

I An allowable variance 76 in tag weight at each price cally it wouldappear that the separation between weight (price) steps should be atleast as great as the maximum permitted variance 76 at each price stepmultiplied by the total number of allowable purchases, in any givenmerchandising application, the variance 76 can be substantially lessdepending on the sales frequency of each price step. Ideally, thevariance in the base weight 74 should be significantly smaller than theincremental weight or separation 75 associated with a price step. On theother hand, the total variance (the sum of the variances 76) that onecould expect in an allowable set of purchases would statistically not besignificant. Cumulative pricing errors arising from the variance of thebase weight and from the variance of the incremental weight at eachprice step should be dependent upon the distribution of tag weightswithin the allowable variance and could thus be minimized at the tagproduction level. At most, the expected total variance would not exceeda predetermined price step, for example, 1 cent; and this amount couldbe deducted from the total purchase price. The present invention alsocontemplates a complete tag that is removed from the article and whoseweight identifies price. This would avoid weight variation incident todetaching the body portions a from the tab portions b with the tags ofFIG. 2.

FIGS. 4a and 4b show two tags 80, 82 illustrating different techniquesfor providing inventory control numbers on the tags. On tag 80, theinventory control number is printed in binary form by the bar markings84. The lower half of the bars 84 provide clock infomiation whereas thepresence or absence of the upper half of the bar represents a one or azero, respectively. On the tag 82, the inventory control number 86 isimprinted with stylized numerals compatible with available opticalscanning equipment. It will be understood that the form of the inventorycontrol number is not an essential feature of the present invention. Itis significant, however, that for checkout purposes the tags 80, 82 havebody portions a, 82a, respectively, whose weight represents the price ofthe item to which the tags are attached; and the same tags 80, 82provide an effective media for inventory control numbers associated withthe items being merchandised through the checkout system. Althoughinventory control via the tags 14 is preferred, the improvements incheckout alone provided by the present invention would justify adoptionof the system without inventory control for many merchandisingoperations.

FIGS. 5a and 5b illustrate embodiments of the present invention whereinthe tags 14 are in the form of wire tags 90, 92. Wire tags such as thetags 90, 92 are cut from spools of wire having a constant weight-perunitlength, i.e., uniform density and diameter. Incremental weightvariations representing different prices are thus obtained by varyingthe lengthof thewire tag. As with the embodiment of the tag 66 in FIG.2, weight variations between price ranges can be obtained by varying thediameter of the wire. The wire tags are fixed to the articles 10 via anadhesive tab 94 or a staple tab 96. The free end of the wire tag may berolled into a loop tofacilitate removal from the item as illustrated bythe tag or the loop can be omitted as illustrated by the tag 92.Inventory control numbers, where desired, can be provided on the wiretags by techniques that do not remove material and hence do not vary theweight of the tag as, for example, rolled or struck notches 98illustrated on the tag 90 or toothed deformations 100 illustrated on thetag 92. The sequence (presence or absence) of notches 98 or teeth 100provides a binary number that could be read by either a contacting or anon-contacting scanner. The adhesive tab 94 or the staple tab 96 allowsthe entire length of wire to be pulled out from underneath or tearthrough the tab during checkout.

Although semi-rigid wire tags such as the tags 90, 92 have beendescribed and offer a media capable of being coded with inventorycontrol numbers, the present invention also contemplates tags of othermaterials formed in incremental lengths and hence incremental made ofstring, nylon line or plastic-coated wire.

FIG. 7 shows in greater detail an exemplary arrangement of the scale 30,the counting arrangement including photocell 22 and a pneumatic taghandling system 100 for transferring tags from the checkout counter 12through the scale 30 and to the temporary tag storage 44. The tag weightscale 30 (FIG. 1) generally includes the scale mechanism, per se, 102, ascale beam 104 and a pan 106. Pan 106 is a dish-shaped disc openingupwardly and is made of flexible spring sheet metal. The pan issupported on the outer free end of the scale beam 104 by upright arms108 mounted on beam 104 at 110. The bottom of pan 106 is apertured at112. Scale 30 also generally includes a plunger rod 114 verticallyslideable in guides 116 and actuated by a cam 118 driven by a motor 120.When rod 114 is raised by cam 118, pan 106 flexes from a concave state(full lines) to a convex state (dashed lines) to dump the tags from thepan. Pan 106 has its upper surface highly polished to facilitate removalof the tags. When rod 114 is lowered, pan 106 returns to its concavestate due to the weights to cover a price range as, for example, a tagspring action of the pan. Beam 104 is provided with a,

stop arm mechanism 122 which normally restrains motion of the beam 104until the arm 122 is withdrawn from the end of the beam. Pan 106 isenclosed in a housing 130.

Chute 16 (FIG. 1) is in the form of an inverted cone 132 that extendsfrom counter 12 through the top of housing 100 and has its lower openend communicating with pan 106. In the preferred embodiment, the chute132 is made of transparent material such as plastic, and counter 12 hasa transparent insert 134 containing a slot 136 that communicates withthe upper end of the chute 132. The transparent insert 134 and chute 132enable a cashier to visually monitor the scale pan 106 and the transferof portions 14 into and out of the pan. As illustrated in FIG. 7, thelamp l8 and the photocell 22 may be mounted directly on the bottom faceof the insert 134 to count the tags as they pass through the slot 136.

Arms 108 and rod 114 project upwardly through a cylindrical wall 140 inthe bottom of housing 130. The opening formed by wall 140 is closed by aresilient flexible diaphragm 144 provided with suitable collarspermitting arms 108 and rod 114 to pass freely therethrough. The top ofwall 140 has a horizontal annular flange 142 that terminates just inwardof the lateral edges of pan 106 when it is flexed to its convexposition. Flange 142 forms an annular collecting duct 146 in the bottomof housing 130 that communicates with an outlet 148 to the duct 42. Theduct 42 is preferably under suction created by a suction fan (not shown)downstream of an air control valve 150. Valve 150,

arm stop 122, motor and scale 102 are all actuated in the desiredsequence by a controller 152.

In the operation of the apparatus described in connection with FIG. 7,all of the tag portions 14' inserted in the slot 136 from the items 10in one order are collected in the scale pan 106. Upon instructions fromthe cashier via the manual input 32 (FIG. 1), controller 152 disengagesarm stop 122. Scale 102 weighs the tags in the scale pan 106; and, uponcommand from controller 152, scale 102 feeds this information toregister 28 via the lead 160. After the signal indicating the weight ofthe tags in pan 106 is transferred to register 28, controller 152engages arm stop 122 in the scale beam 104 and actuates motor 120. Motor120 rotates cam 118 to raise and lower rod 114, dumping the tags in pan106 into the collecting duct 146. During this dumping operation, thevalve 150 is opened so that the suction in duct 42 collects the tags induct 146 and transfers them to the temporary tag storage 44. Preferably,cam 118 undergoes several revolutions to assure that all of the tagshave been removed from the scale pan 106. Depending upon theconstruction of the tags being used, it may be desirable to open valve150 slightly while tags are being inserted in slot 136. This provides avery weak air flow through the slot 136 and apertures 112 in the bottomof pan 106 to assure that tags entering slot 136 come to rest in pan106. Valve 150 is then closed while measurements are taken by scale 102.The apparatus of FIG. 7 minimizes the possibility that tags will hang upon the scale mechanism.

The apparatus described in connection with FIG. 7 is particularly suitedto handling planar tags made of paper or plastic such as the tags 60,62, 64, 66. How'- ever, with nonplanar tags such as the wire tags 90,92, a substantially simpler scale and pan arrangement could be used. Forexample, the wire tags could be made of magnetic material and the tagscan be removed by an electromagnet.

Based on the tag count data from counter 24 and the total tag weightdata from tag scale 30, the calculations by register 28 in the exemplarysystem described in connection with FIG. 1 will be readily apparent.Assuming that the tag base weight 74 (FIG. 6) is other than zero andequal for all tags used in the system, the predetermined base weight ofthe tag portions 14' is programmed in register 28; and register 28multiplies the predetermined base weight 74 times the number of tagscounted by counter 24. For the system being described where increases inprice are indicated by a cor responding increase in weight (FIG. '6),the resulting multiplication product is then subtracted from the totaltag weight data received from scale 30 and the result is a directindication of the price of the items purchased. By way of example, for atag base weight of 5% gram and weight increments of 20 micrograms foreach 1 cent of price, for a purchase of a l -cent item together with a2-cent item, the total tag weight would be 1 gram plus 60 micrograms.Hence by subtracting twice the base weight or 1 gram, the result is 60micrograms 0r 3 cents.

For the above example, it will be apparent that scale 30 must beaccurate over a relatively wide weight range. This disadvantage can beeasily overcome by utilizing a scale corresponding to scale 30 whichalso receives the tag count from counter 24 and adjusts the scale rangeaccording to the number of tags being weighed. For example, with theabove base weight of be gram, and assuming two purchases, i.e., a totaltag base weight of 1 gram, the range of scale 30 would be compensatedwith a factor of 1 gram (a two-tag count) so that the scale, in effect,measures only the weight increments indicating price, namely, 60micrograms. In this embodiment, the scale would give a direct indicationof the total price of the purchase, that is, 3 cents. Preferably, thescale range would be changed as each tag portion 14 is counted by thecounter 24.

Although the apparatus in FIG. 1 hasbeen described for purposes ofillustration as utilizing a separate counter 24, the present inventionalso contemplates a scale that will change scale ranges according to theweight of the tag portions 14 on the scale. This operation can beachieved by assuring that the tag base weight is greater than the totalincremental weight associated with any allowable set of purchases. Forthe example described hereinabove, assuming that the maximum allowablenumber of price steps is two, i.e., 1 cent and 2 cents, and that themaximum allowable number of purchases is also 2, then the totalincremental weight associated with the maximum allowable purchase wouldbe 80 micrograms. Based on these assumptions, if the scale weight was onthe order of k gram, the scale would'know that only one tag was presentand could set its own scale range to determine whether the tag weighedmicrograms (1 cent) or 40 micrograms (2 cents). Similarly, if the totalweight was on the order of 1 gram, the scale would know that two tagswere present and it would readjust its scale range accordingly to findout what combination of tags were present, i.e., 40, 60 or 80micrograms. In this embodiment, the tag counter corresponding to thecounter 24 of FIG. 1 would not be required and the modified scale wouldalso provide a count of the number of tags corresponding to the numberof items purchased.

The present invention also contemplates automatic checkout using tagswherein a decrease in tag weight corresponds to an increase in price.This embodiment is very similar to that disclosed in connection withFIGS. 1 and 6 except that the base weight corresponding to base weight74 (FIG. 6) is chosen to correspond to the maximum purchase price to beencountered in the merchandising operation. Also the registercorresponding to register 28 is programmed with the base weight andmodified so as to multiply the base weight by the tag count from counter24 and then subtract from the resulting multiplication product the totaltag 'weight from scale 30. Hence, for example, assuming a maximumpurchase price of 3 cents and a base weight of gram, 1 cent would beindicated by a tag weighing /5 gram less 20 micrograms; 2 cents would be/5 gram less 40 micrograms; and 3 cents would be 9% gram less 60micrograms. For a purchase consisting of a l-cent item and a Z-centitem, the register would yield a result of 60 micrograms which indicatesa 3-cent total purchase. In this embodiment, where a decrease in baseweight represents an increase in price, the present invention alsocontemplates direct price readout by a scale that automatically sets itsscale range according to the number of tags on the scale to therebyweigh only the incremental tag weight as described hereinabove.

The checkout system described hereinabove in connection with FIG. 1 issuch that customer participation could be utilized to even furtherreduce the operations performed by the checkout cashier. For example,the

customer could detach tags from articles as they are selected and placethe tags in a receptacle that is handed to the cashier at checkout.Articles could then be bagged by the customer as they are selected. Inthe embodiment of FIG. 1, it is not essential that counter 12 be usedsince an unskilled bagger could remove articles from the customers cart,remove the price tag and place the articles directly into a bag.

As will be apparent from the foregoing description, the terms weightand/or gravitational weight in connection with the price-by-tag-weightfeature of the present invention are used in the physics sense; namely,that property of matter that is expressed in force units and is relatedto the mass of a body of matter, including, without limitation, theforce of gravitational attraction which the earth exerts on a body,e.g., the tags.

It will be understood that automatic checkout and inventory control havebeen described hereinabove for purposes of illustration of the presentinvention, the scope of which is defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In the method of merchandising articles wherein a plurality ofarticles are selected from stock and transferred to a checkout stationfor totaling the total price of said selected articles by use ofgravitational weighing means, the steps of forming a group of individualpricing media having incremental gravitational weight variationstherebetween corresponding to respective price variations over a pricerange of said stock articles, associating with each stock article priorto article selection an individual pricing media having a predeterminedgravitational weight representing a price of the corresponding articleassociated therewith and distinguishing that price from all otherprices, disassociating said pricing media from articles after selection,and then simultaneously weighing with said weighing means saiddisassociated pricing media to obtain a collective gravitational weightthereof whereby said total price can be determined from said collectivegravitational weight without identifying either the individual price ofa selected article or the gravitational weight of an individual pricingmedia.

2. The combination of a first article of merchandise having a firstpredetermined price, first pricing means attached to said article, saidfirst pricing means being separable from said first article itself andhaving a first gravitational weight that represents said firstpredetermined price and distinguishes said first predetermined pricefrom all other prices, a second article of merchandise having a secondpredetermined price different from said first predetermined price andsecond pricing means attached to said second article, said secondpricing means being separable from said second article itself and havinga second gravitational weight that is different from said firstgravitational weight-and represents said second predetermined price anddistinguishes said second predetermined price from all other priceswhereby said-first and second pricing means can be separated from saidfirst and second articles and gravitationally weighed to indicate saidprices.

3. The combination set forth in claim 2 wherein each pricing meanscomprises a tag of sheet material having a first portion attached to itsrespective article and a second portion detachable from said firstportion,.and wherein said second portion has a gravitational weightrepresenting price.

4. The combination set forth in claim 2 wherein each pricing meanscomprises a length of filamentary material detachably fastened to itsrespective article.

5. The combination set forth in claim 4 wherein said filamentarymaterial has a predetermined weight-perunit length and the length ofsaid filamentary material in each pricing means is such that itsgravitational weight represents its respective price.

6. The combination set forth in claim 4 wherein said filamentarymaterial is semi-rigid wire.

7. The combination set forth in claim 6 wherein each wire has apredetermined configuration identifying its respective article.

8. The combination set forth in claim 2 wherein each pricing meanscomprises a tag of sheet material and a piece of wire attached thereto.

9. The combination set forth in claim 2 wherein said first price isgreater than said second price and said first gravitational weight isgreater than said second gravitational weight.

10. The combination set forth in claim 2 wherein said first price isgreater than said second price and wherein said first gravitationalweight is less than said second gravitational weight.

'11. In the method of merchandising articles wherein a plurality ofarticles are selected from stock and transferred to a checkout stationfor totaling the total price of said selected plurality of articles byusing gravitational weighing means, the steps of providing a group ofindividual pricing media exclusive of the article itself, attachablethereto and separable therefrom, each of said pricing media having atleast a portion thereof having a predetermined gravitational weightrepresenting an individual article price, said group containingincremental individual pricing media portions having incrementalgravitational weight variations therebetween over a price rangecorresponding to a price range of said stock articles, associating witheach stock article prior to article selection an individual pricingmedia selected from said group and representing the price of thecorresponding article associated therewith, disassociating from articlesafter selection at least said pricing portions of said pricing media,collecting said disassociated pricing media portions at said checkoutstation into an accumulation having a corresponding total gravitationalweight representing the sum of the individual gravitational weights ofsaid pricing portions associated with said selected articles, and thenmeasuring A said total weight of accumulated pricing media portions withsaid gravitational weighing means and without separately identifyingeither the individual price of a selected article or the individualgravitational weight of corresponding selected pricing media portionswhereby said total price can be determined from said total weight.

12. The method set forth in claim 11 wherein said pricing media isprovided by providing individual tags of sheet material and wherein theweight of said material in respective tags is varied incrementallyaccording to corresponding incremental price variations.

13. The method set forth in claim 11 wherein said pricing media areprovided by providing individual lengths of filamentary material.

14. The method set forth in claim 11 wherein said pricing media isprovided by providing individual lengths of wire.

15. The method set forth in claim 14 implemented by automatic apparatusincluding scanning means and further comprising imparting to individuallengths of said wire respective different configurations identifyingrespective articles with which said lengths are to be associated,separating individual lengths of wire from said accumulation andscanning each wire to determine its configuration and thereby obtain anidentification of the articles selected from stock.

16. The method set forth in claim 11 wherein said pricing media areprovided by providing individual tags of sheet material reinforced withrigid filamentary material.

17. The method set forth in claim 11 wherein said pricing media areprovided from material having a predetermined uniform weight-per-unitlength and wherein said incremental weight variations are provided byincrementally varying the length of individual pricing media within saidgroup according to corresponding incremental price variations.

18. The method set forth in claim 11 implemented by automatic apparatusincluding scanning means and wherein said method further comprisesproviding each pricing media portion with indicia identifying arespective article to which said pricing media portion is to beattached, separating individual pricing media portions from saidaccumulation, and scanning each individual pricing media portion withsaid scanning means to identify the indicia on each pricing mediaportion and thereby obtain an indication of the articles that have beenselected from stock.

19. The method of merchandising articles selected from a stock ofarticles by using gravitational weighing means to obtain a total priceof said selected articles comprising the steps of providing respectivepricing means on individual associated stock articles with each pricingmeans being attached to its associated article and having at least aportion thereof removable from its associated article and whosegravitational weight represents a predetermined price of its associatedarticle, selecting articles from said stock articles, removingindividual pricing means portions from said selected articles and thenwith said gravitational weighing means collectively weighing the removedpricing means portions to determine a total gravitational weight of saidremoved pricing means portions to thereby obtain an indication of saidtotal price.

20. The method set forth in claim 19 further comprising the step ofimparting on each pricing means an inventory control number identifyingthat particular stock article to which said pricing means is attached.

2]. The method set forth in claim 19 wherein each of said pricing meansportions is referenced to a substantially identical predeterminedgravitational base weight and incremental deviations in actualgravitational weight of said pricing means from said base weight arecorrelated to different prices, and wherein said indication of totalprice is obtained by determining a collective total of said incrementalweight deviations.

22. The method set forth in claim 19 wherein said weighing meansprovides a first signal representing said total weight and said methodis further implemented by automatic apparatus including counting meansand computing means, and wherein said method further comprises countingwith said counting means the total number of removed pricing meansportions and generating a second signal representing said total numberand then processing said first and said second signals with saidcomputing means to obtain said total price indication.

23. The method set forth in claim 19 wherein merchandising isimplemented by automatic apparatus including counting means andautomatic visual indicating means, and wherein said method furthercomprises counting with said counting means the total number of pricingmeans portions removed from said selected articles and then providingwith said visual indicating means a visual indication of said totalnumber to thereby verify that the number of pricing means portions beingweighed equals the number of said selected articles.

24. The method set forth in claim 19 wherein merchandising isimplemented by automatic apparatus including counting means andcomputing means, and wherein said method further comprises counting withsaid counting means the total number of pricing means portions removedfrom said selected articles and then obtaining said indication of saidtotal price by said computing means as a function of said total numberand said total weight.

25. The method set forth in claim 19 implemented by automatic apparatusincluding scanning means and further comprising providing indicia oneach individual pricing means portion identifying the article to whicheach pricing means portion is attachedandscanning with said scanningmeans each pricing means portion removed from said selected article toidentify the indicia thereon and thereby obtain an identification ofeach article which has been selected from stock.

26. The method set forth in claim 19 wherein said pricing means areformed from material having a predetermined uniform weight-per-unitlength and wherein pricing variations are obtained by varying the lengthof material attached to corresponding stock articles.

28. The method set forth in claim 19 wherein said' pricing means areprovided on said stock articles by means of individual tags of materialhaving at least a portion thereof whose gravitational weight representsthe price of that article to which that tag is attached and pricingvariations for stock articles having. different prices are provided byincrementally varying the gravitational weight of said tag portions.

29. The method set forth in claim 19 wherein said pricing means areprovided on articles having different prices by forming individuallengths of semi-rigid wire 27. The method set forth in claim 26implemented by with incremental gravitational weight variationstherebetween corresponding to incremental price variations.

30. The method set forth in claim 19 wherein said tween corresponding toincremental price variations.

31. The' method set forth in claim 19 wherein said pricing means areprovided on articles having different prices by forming individuallengths of filamentary material with incremental gravitational weightvariations therebetween corresponding to incremental price variations.

32. The method set forth in claim 24 wherein said pricing means areprovided on articles having different prices by forming pricing meansportions that have equal predetermined base gravitational weights andrespective incremental gravitational weight increases over said baseweight corresponding to increases in price of corresponding articles towhich pricing means portions are attached, and said method furthercomprises determining said total price with said computing means bymultiplying said base weight times said total number and thensubtracting the resulting multiplication product from said total weightof said removed pricing means portions.

33. The method set forth in claim 24 wherein said pricing means areprovided on articles having different prices by forming pricing meansportions that have equal predetermined base gravitational weights withrespective decreases in actual gravitational weight of pricing meansportions from said base weight corresponding to increases in price ofcorresponding articles to which the pricing means portions are attached,and wherein said method further comprises determining with saidcomputing means said total price by multiplying said base weight timessaid total number and then subtracting said total weight of said removedpricing means portions from the resulting multiplication product.

34. The method set forth in claim 29 wherein said incremental weightvariations are provided by forming said lengths of wire with lengthvariations therebetween.

35. The method set forth in claim 30 wherein said incremental weightvariations are provided by forming said tags with incremental lengthvariations therebetween.

36. In the method of merchandising articles that are to be selected forpurchase wherein a total price of selected articles is to be determinedby measuring the gravitational weight of pricing means after separationfrom the articles themselves and wherein a first article has a firstpredetermined price and a second article has a second predeterminedprice, the steps of providing on said first article a first pricingmeans that is attached to and separable from said first article itselfand has a first predetermined gravitational weight that represents saidfirst predetermined price and distinguishes said first predeterminedprice from said second predetermined price and from all other prices,and providing on said second article a second pricing means that isattached to and separable from said second article itself and has asecond predetermined gravitational weight that represents said secondpredetermined price and distinguishes said second predetermined pricefrom said first predetermined price and from all other prices.

37. The method set forth in claim 36 wherein said first and said secondpricing means are provided on said first and second articles by firstforming said first and second pricing means and then attaching saidfirst pricing means to said first article and said second pricing meansto said second article.

38. The method set forth in claim 36 further comprising separating saidfirst pricing means from said first article after said first article hasbeen selected for purchase, separating said second pricing means fromsaid second article after said second article has been selected forpurchase, and then determining the sum of said first and secondpredetermined prices using gravitational weighing means bysimultaneously weighing said first pricing means and said second pricingmeans with said gravitational weighing means.

39. In the method of merchandising articles wherein a plurality ofarticles are selected from stock and transferred to a checkout stationfor totaling the total price of said selected articles by use ofgravitational weighing means and wherein each stock article has arespective pricing means associated therewith, attached thereto andseparable from each article itself, and each pricing means has apredetermined gravitational weight representing a predetermined price ofits associated article and distinguishing that predetermined price ofits associated article from other prices, the steps of detaching saidpricing means from each of said plurality of articles after selectionthereof and then simultaneously weighing said detached pricing meanswith said gravitational weighing means to determine the totalgravitational weight of said detached pricing means whereby said totalprice can be obtained from said total gravitational weight of saiddetached pricing means.

40. In the method of merchandising articles wherein a first article hasa first predetermined price and a second article has a secondpredetermined price, the steps of providing on said first article afirst pricing means that is attached to and separable from said firstarticle itself and has a first predetermined gravitational weight thatrepresents said first predetermined price and distinguishes said firstprice from other prices, providing on said second article a secondpricing means that is attached to and separable from said second articleitself and has a second predetermined gravitational weight thatrepresents said second predetermined price and distinguishes said secondprice from other prices, separating said first pricing means from saidfirst article after said article has been selected and then measuringsaid first predetermined gravitational weight of said first pricingmeans after separation from said first article to determine said firstpredetermined price.

41. Price totaling apparatus for use in selling articles wherein eacharticle has a pricing tag attached thereto and separable from each saidarticle itself and with each tag having a respective gravitationalweight representing the selling price of the article to which the tag isattached and distinguishing that price from all other prices comprisinga checkout station for processing said articles after selection by acustomer, first transfer means at said station for receiving said tagsafter separation from said selected articles, gravitational weighingscale means at said station for providing a first signal representing acollective gravitational weight of a number of said separated tagsgreater than one, said gravitational weighing scale means having a taginlet communicating with said first transfer means to receive saidseparated tags therefrom, second transfer means at said checkout stationfor transferring said tags away from said gravitational weighing scalemeans after said separated tags have been weighed, and first automaticmeans operatively coupled to said gravitational weighing scale means andresponsive to said first signal to provide an indication of a totalselling price represented by said collective gravitational weight.

42. The apparatus set forth in claim 41 further comprising automaticcounting means operatively associated with one of said transfer means tocount said separated tags and provide a second signal representing saidnumber, and wherein said first automatic means is responsive to bothsaid first and said second signals to provide said indication of totalprice.

43. The apparatus set forth in claim 41 further comprising automaticscanning means operatively associated with one of said transfer means toidentify indicia on each of said pricing means, said indicia identifyingthe article to which each pricing means was attached so that anidentification of each article which has been se-v lected is obtainedfrom said scanning means.

44. The apparatus set forth in claim 41 wherein said first signalprovided by said gravitational weighing scale means is a firstelectrical signal and said first automatic means comprises registermeans coupled to said gravitational weighing scale means and responsiveto said first electrical signal to compute said total selling price.

45. The apparatus set forth in claim 44 wherein said first automaticmeans further comprises manual entry pricing means operatively coupledto said register means for modifying said total price in response to aninstruction entered manually by an operator of said price totalingapparatus.

46. The apparatus set forth in claim 44 further comprising automaticcounting means operatively associated with one of said transfer means tocount said separated tags and provide a second electrical signalrepresenting said number and wherein said first automatic means isresponsive to both said first and second electrical signals to providesaid indication of total price.

47. The apparatus set forth in claim 44 wherein said gravitationalweighing scale means includes a scale pan enclosed in a housing, saidfirst transfer means has an outlet communicating with the interior ofsaid housing to deliver said separated tags to said pan, said housinghaving a portion thereof forming a collection chamber, means forming atag outlet in said housing communicating with said collection chamber,said second transfer means communicating with said tag outlet, means fortransferring tags from said pan to said chamber and means for creating acurrent of air moving through said chamber and exhausting therefromthrough said outlet to thereby transfer tags away from saidgravitational weighing scale means.

48. The apparatus set forth in claim 47 wherein said collection chamberis located in said housing below said pan, said pan is made ofresiliently flexible material and has a normally concave transversecross section so that'said pan opens in an upward direction to receivetags from said first transfer means and wherein said means fortransferring tags from said pan to said chamber comprises means forflexing said pan to cause said pan to assume a convex transverse crosssection to thereby dump said tags into said collection chamber.

1. In the method of merchandising articles wherein a plurality ofarticles are selected from stock and transferred to a checkout stationfor totaling the total price of said selected articles by use ofgravitational weighing means, the steps of forming a group of individualpricing media having incremental gravitational weight variationstherebetween corresponding to respective price variations over a pricerange of said stock articles, associating with each stock article priorto article selection an individual pricing media having a predeterminedgravitational weight representing a price of the corresponding articleassociated therewith and distinguishing that price from all otherprices, disassociating said pricing media from articles after selection,and then simultaneously weighing with said weighing means saiddisassociated pricing media to obtain a collective gravitational weightthereof whereby said total price can be determined from said collectivegravitational weight without identifying either the individual price ofa selected article or the gravitational weight of an individual pricingmedia.
 2. The combination of a first article of merchandise having afirst predetermined price, first pricing means attached to said article,said first priciNg means being separable from said first article itselfand having a first gravitational weight that represents said firstpredetermined price and distinguishes said first predetermined pricefrom all other prices, a second article of merchandise having a secondpredetermined price different from said first predetermined price andsecond pricing means attached to said second article, said secondpricing means being separable from said second article itself and havinga second gravitational weight that is different from said firstgravitational weight and represents said second predetermined price anddistinguishes said second predetermined price from all other priceswhereby said first and second pricing means can be separated from saidfirst and second articles and gravitationally weighed to indicate saidprices.
 3. The combination set forth in claim 2 wherein each pricingmeans comprises a tag of sheet material having a first portion attachedto its respective article and a second portion detachable from saidfirst portion, and wherein said second portion has a gravitationalweight representing price.
 4. The combination set forth in claim 2wherein each pricing means comprises a length of filamentary materialdetachably fastened to its respective article.
 5. The combination setforth in claim 4 wherein said filamentary material has a predeterminedweight-per-unit length and the length of said filamentary material ineach pricing means is such that its gravitational weight represents itsrespective price.
 6. The combination set forth in claim 4 wherein saidfilamentary material is semi-rigid wire.
 7. The combination set forth inclaim 6 wherein each wire has a predetermined configuration identifyingits respective article.
 8. The combination set forth in claim 2 whereineach pricing means comprises a tag of sheet material and a piece of wireattached thereto.
 9. The combination set forth in claim 2 wherein saidfirst price is greater than said second price and said firstgravitational weight is greater than said second gravitational weight.10. The combination set forth in claim 2 wherein said first price isgreater than said second price and wherein said first gravitationalweight is less than said second gravitational weight.
 11. In the methodof merchandising articles wherein a plurality of articles are selectedfrom stock and transferred to a checkout station for totaling the totalprice of said selected plurality of articles by using gravitationalweighing means, the steps of providing a group of individual pricingmedia exclusive of the article itself, attachable thereto and separabletherefrom, each of said pricing media having at least a portion thereofhaving a predetermined gravitational weight representing an individualarticle price, said group containing incremental individual pricingmedia portions having incremental gravitational weight variationstherebetween over a price range corresponding to a price range of saidstock articles, associating with each stock article prior to articleselection an individual pricing media selected from said group andrepresenting the price of the corresponding article associatedtherewith, disassociating from articles after selection at least saidpricing portions of said pricing media, collecting said disassociatedpricing media portions at said checkout station into an accumulationhaving a corresponding total gravitational weight representing the sumof the individual gravitational weights of said pricing portionsassociated with said selected articles, and then measuring said totalweight of accumulated pricing media portions with said gravitationalweighing means and without separately identifying either the individualprice of a selected article or the individual gravitational weight ofcorresponding selected pricing media portions whereby said total pricecan be determined from said total weight.
 12. The method set forth inclaim 11 wherein said pricing media is provided by providing indivIdualtags of sheet material and wherein the weight of said material inrespective tags is varied incrementally according to correspondingincremental price variations.
 13. The method set forth in claim 11wherein said pricing media are provided by providing individual lengthsof filamentary material.
 14. The method set forth in claim 11 whereinsaid pricing media is provided by providing individual lengths of wire.15. The method set forth in claim 14 implemented by automatic apparatusincluding scanning means and further comprising imparting to individuallengths of said wire respective different configurations identifyingrespective articles with which said lengths are to be associated,separating individual lengths of wire from said accumulation andscanning each wire to determine its configuration and thereby obtain anidentification of the articles selected from stock.
 16. The method setforth in claim 11 wherein said pricing media are provided by providingindividual tags of sheet material reinforced with rigid filamentarymaterial.
 17. The method set forth in claim 11 wherein said pricingmedia are provided from material having a predetermined uniformweight-per-unit length and wherein said incremental weight variationsare provided by incrementally varying the length of individual pricingmedia within said group according to corresponding incremental pricevariations.
 18. The method set forth in claim 11 implemented byautomatic apparatus including scanning means and wherein said methodfurther comprises providing each pricing media portion with indiciaidentifying a respective article to which said pricing media portion isto be attached, separating individual pricing media portions from saidaccumulation, and scanning each individual pricing media portion withsaid scanning means to identify the indicia on each pricing mediaportion and thereby obtain an indication of the articles that have beenselected from stock.
 19. The method of merchandising articles selectedfrom a stock of articles by using gravitational weighing means to obtaina total price of said selected articles comprising the steps ofproviding respective pricing means on individual associated stockarticles with each pricing means being attached to its associatedarticle and having at least a portion thereof removable from itsassociated article and whose gravitational weight represents apredetermined price of its associated article, selecting articles fromsaid stock articles, removing individual pricing means portions fromsaid selected articles and then with said gravitational weighing meanscollectively weighing the removed pricing means portions to determine atotal gravitational weight of said removed pricing means portions tothereby obtain an indication of said total price.
 20. The method setforth in claim 19 further comprising the step of imparting on eachpricing means an inventory control number identifying that particularstock article to which said pricing means is attached.
 21. The methodset forth in claim 19 wherein each of said pricing means portions isreferenced to a substantially identical predetermined gravitational baseweight and incremental deviations in actual gravitational weight of saidpricing means from said base weight are correlated to different prices,and wherein said indication of total price is obtained by determining acollective total of said incremental weight deviations.
 22. The methodset forth in claim 19 wherein said weighing means provides a firstsignal representing said total weight and said method is furtherimplemented by automatic apparatus including counting means andcomputing means, and wherein said method further comprises counting withsaid counting means the total number of removed pricing means portionsand generating a second signal representing said total number and thenprocessing said first and said second signals with said computing meansto obtain said total price indication.
 23. The method set foRth in claim19 wherein merchandising is implemented by automatic apparatus includingcounting means and automatic visual indicating means, and wherein saidmethod further comprises counting with said counting means the totalnumber of pricing means portions removed from said selected articles andthen providing with said visual indicating means a visual indication ofsaid total number to thereby verify that the number of pricing meansportions being weighed equals the number of said selected articles. 24.The method set forth in claim 19 wherein merchandising is implemented byautomatic apparatus including counting means and computing means, andwherein said method further comprises counting with said counting meansthe total number of pricing means portions removed from said selectedarticles and then obtaining said indication of said total price by saidcomputing means as a function of said total number and said totalweight.
 25. The method set forth in claim 19 implemented by automaticapparatus including scanning means and further comprising providingindicia on each individual pricing means portion identifying the articleto which each pricing means portion is attached and scanning with saidscanning means each pricing means portion removed from said selectedarticle to identify the indicia thereon and thereby obtain anidentification of each article which has been selected from stock. 26.The method set forth in claim 19 wherein said pricing means are formedfrom material having a predetermined uniform weight-per-unit length andwherein pricing variations are obtained by varying the length ofmaterial attached to corresponding stock articles.
 27. The method setforth in claim 26 implemented by automatic apparatus including scanningmeans and by pricing means comprising lengths of semi-rigid wire, andwherein said method further comprises imparting to each length of wire apredetermined configuration identifying that article to which thatlength of material is attached and scanning with said scanning meanseach length of wire after removal from said selected articles toidentify the configuration of each individual length of wire and therebyidentify that article which has been selected from stock.
 28. The methodset forth in claim 19 wherein said pricing means are provided on saidstock articles by means of individual tags of material having at least aportion thereof whose gravitational weight represents the price of thatarticle to which that tag is attached and pricing variations for stockarticles having different prices are provided by incrementally varyingthe gravitational weight of said tag portions.
 29. The method set forthin claim 19 wherein said pricing means are provided on articles havingdifferent prices by forming individual lengths of semi-rigid wire withincremental gravitational weight variations therebetween correspondingto incremental price variations.
 30. The method set forth in claim 19wherein said pricing means are provided on articles having differentprices by forming individual tags of sheet material with incrementalgravitational weight variations therebetween corresponding toincremental price variations.
 31. The method set forth in claim 19wherein said pricing means are provided on articles having differentprices by forming individual lengths of filamentary material withincremental gravitational weight variations therebetween correspondingto incremental price variations.
 32. The method set forth in claim 24wherein said pricing means are provided on articles having differentprices by forming pricing means portions that have equal predeterminedbase gravitational weights and respective incremental gravitationalweight increases over said base weight corresponding to increases inprice of corresponding articles to which pricing means portions areattached, and said method further comprises determining said total pricewith said computing means by multiplying said base weight times saidtotal number And then subtracting the resulting multiplication productfrom said total weight of said removed pricing means portions.
 33. Themethod set forth in claim 24 wherein said pricing means are provided onarticles having different prices by forming pricing means portions thathave equal predetermined base gravitational weights with respectivedecreases in actual gravitational weight of pricing means portions fromsaid base weight corresponding to increases in price of correspondingarticles to which the pricing means portions are attached, and whereinsaid method further comprises determining with said computing means saidtotal price by multiplying said base weight times said total number andthen subtracting said total weight of said removed pricing meansportions from the resulting multiplication product.
 34. The method setforth in claim 29 wherein said incremental weight variations areprovided by forming said lengths of wire with length variationstherebetween.
 35. The method set forth in claim 30 wherein saidincremental weight variations are provided by forming said tags withincremental length variations therebetween.
 36. In the method ofmerchandising articles that are to be selected for purchase wherein atotal price of selected articles is to be determined by measuring thegravitational weight of pricing means after separation from the articlesthemselves and wherein a first article has a first predetermined priceand a second article has a second predetermined price, the steps ofproviding on said first article a first pricing means that is attachedto and separable from said first article itself and has a firstpredetermined gravitational weight that represents said firstpredetermined price and distinguishes said first predetermined pricefrom said second predetermined price and from all other prices, andproviding on said second article a second pricing means that is attachedto and separable from said second article itself and has a secondpredetermined gravitational weight that represents said secondpredetermined price and distinguishes said second predetermined pricefrom said first predetermined price and from all other prices.
 37. Themethod set forth in claim 36 wherein said first and said second pricingmeans are provided on said first and second articles by first formingsaid first and second pricing means and then attaching said firstpricing means to said first article and said second pricing means tosaid second article.
 38. The method set forth in claim 36 furthercomprising separating said first pricing means from said first articleafter said first article has been selected for purchase, separating saidsecond pricing means from said second article after said second articlehas been selected for purchase, and then determining the sum of saidfirst and second predetermined prices using gravitational weighing meansby simultaneously weighing said first pricing means and said secondpricing means with said gravitational weighing means.
 39. In the methodof merchandising articles wherein a plurality of articles are selectedfrom stock and transferred to a checkout station for totaling the totalprice of said selected articles by use of gravitational weighing meansand wherein each stock article has a respective pricing means associatedtherewith, attached thereto and separable from each article itself, andeach pricing means has a predetermined gravitational weight representinga predetermined price of its associated article and distinguishing thatpredetermined price of its associated article from other prices, thesteps of detaching said pricing means from each of said plurality ofarticles after selection thereof and then simultaneously weighing saiddetached pricing means with said gravitational weighing means todetermine the total gravitational weight of said detached pricing meanswhereby said total price can be obtained from said total gravitationalweight of said detached pricing means.
 40. In the method ofmerchAndising articles wherein a first article has a first predeterminedprice and a second article has a second predetermined price, the stepsof providing on said first article a first pricing means that isattached to and separable from said first article itself and has a firstpredetermined gravitational weight that represents said firstpredetermined price and distinguishes said first price from otherprices, providing on said second article a second pricing means that isattached to and separable from said second article itself and has asecond predetermined gravitational weight that represents said secondpredetermined price and distinguishes said second price from otherprices, separating said first pricing means from said first articleafter said article has been selected and then measuring said firstpredetermined gravitational weight of said first pricing means afterseparation from said first article to determine said first predeterminedprice.
 41. Price totaling apparatus for use in selling articles whereineach article has a pricing tag attached thereto and separable from eachsaid article itself and with each tag having a respective gravitationalweight representing the selling price of the article to which the tag isattached and distinguishing that price from all other prices comprisinga checkout station for processing said articles after selection by acustomer, first transfer means at said station for receiving said tagsafter separation from said selected articles, gravitational weighingscale means at said station for providing a first signal representing acollective gravitational weight of a number of said separated tagsgreater than one, said gravitational weighing scale means having a taginlet communicating with said first transfer means to receive saidseparated tags therefrom, second transfer means at said checkout stationfor transferring said tags away from said gravitational weighing scalemeans after said separated tags have been weighed, and first automaticmeans operatively coupled to said gravitational weighing scale means andresponsive to said first signal to provide an indication of a totalselling price represented by said collective gravitational weight. 42.The apparatus set forth in claim 41 further comprising automaticcounting means operatively associated with one of said transfer means tocount said separated tags and provide a second signal representing saidnumber, and wherein said first automatic means is responsive to bothsaid first and said second signals to provide said indication of totalprice.
 43. The apparatus set forth in claim 41 further comprisingautomatic scanning means operatively associated with one of saidtransfer means to identify indicia on each of said pricing means, saidindicia identifying the article to which each pricing means was attachedso that an identification of each article which has been selected isobtained from said scanning means.
 44. The apparatus set forth in claim41 wherein said first signal provided by said gravitational weighingscale means is a first electrical signal and said first automatic meanscomprises register means coupled to said gravitational weighing scalemeans and responsive to said first electrical signal to compute saidtotal selling price.
 45. The apparatus set forth in claim 44 whereinsaid first automatic means further comprises manual entry pricing meansoperatively coupled to said register means for modifying said totalprice in response to an instruction entered manually by an operator ofsaid price totaling apparatus.
 46. The apparatus set forth in claim 44further comprising automatic counting means operatively associated withone of said transfer means to count said separated tags and provide asecond electrical signal representing said number and wherein said firstautomatic means is responsive to both said first and second electricalsignals to provide said indication of total price.
 47. The apparatus setforth in claim 44 wherein said gravitational wEighing scale meansincludes a scale pan enclosed in a housing, said first transfer meanshas an outlet communicating with the interior of said housing to deliversaid separated tags to said pan, said housing having a portion thereofforming a collection chamber, means forming a tag outlet in said housingcommunicating with said collection chamber, said second transfer meanscommunicating with said tag outlet, means for transferring tags fromsaid pan to said chamber and means for creating a current of air movingthrough said chamber and exhausting therefrom through said outlet tothereby transfer tags away from said gravitational weighing scale means.48. The apparatus set forth in claim 47 wherein said collection chamberis located in said housing below said pan, said pan is made ofresiliently flexible material and has a normally concave transversecross section so that said pan opens in an upward direction to receivetags from said first transfer means and wherein said means fortransferring tags from said pan to said chamber comprises means forflexing said pan to cause said pan to assume a convex transverse crosssection to thereby dump said tags into said collection chamber.